TRUMP MEETS A ‘VERY SPECIAL PERSON’
US president holds first face-to-face talks with Mohamed bin Zayed ahead of Sunday’s Saudi summit
washington — US President Donald Trump met His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, at the White House on Monday.
The president welcomed Sheikh Mohamed for their first face-toface meeting since Trump took office. Sitting alongside one another in the Oval Office, Trump called Sheikh Mohamed a “very special person” who loves his country and loves the US.
The two leaders discussed enhancing strategic bilateral relations as well as regional and international issues. Sheikh Mohamed’s visit comes days before Trump travels to Saudi Arabia in the first leg of his four-country foreign trip.
The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia, on Monday expressed hope the ‘historic’ summit to be held on Sunday will enhance ties and promote tolerance.
The summit will be one of three forums held during a visit by Trump, who is making Saudi Arabia his first overseas stop since assuming office in January.
Along with the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), at least 18 other Muslim nations have been invited to the summit, including Pakistan, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Niger and Indonesia, which has the world’s largest Muslim population. He said the US-GCC talks will contribute to consolidating Gulf solidarity and peace in the region.
King Salman told a cabinet meeting in the Red Sea city of Jeddah that the meeting “comes in light of the challenges and sensitive situations that the world is going through”.
According to the official Saudi Press Agency, “he expressed his hope that this historic summit will establish a new partnership in the face of extremism and terrorism and spreading the values of tolerance and coexistence” while enhancing global security. — AP, AFP
The Arab world needs Arab solutions to solve its many problems. It needs an Arab country at the helm, leading from the front — for peace. The UAE has the perfect credentials to play peacemaker. This country is different because it’s progressive. By engaging with the UAE, the Arab world’s leading soft power, the Trump administration is making it clear that it wants a responsible power in charge. Someone it can trust, a country that will deliver and keep its promises. Only the UAE has a balanced view of the situation on the ground. Its worldview is liberal. It thinks rationally, clearly, and acts effectively in peace and during conflict. It is unafraid to persist with diplomacy, to push the boundaries of negotiations. There is patience and maturity with which the UAE leadership approaches issues and its relationship with other countries.
Military solutions have yielded few results. The region is on the boil. There are underlying sectarian issues that are spreading from the embers of the socalled Iranian Revolution that sees every neighbour as a suspect, as a foe. Outside powers have been directing the campaign in Syria, Yemen, Iraq and Libya. The revolution continues with no sign of renaissance. People are exploited, resources drained by dictators who have no concern for human rights and freedom. Strongmen like Bashar Al Assad use chemical weapons and got away with it because they know Iran, Russia and Hezbollah have their backs. The Houthis in Yemen also have Tehran’s support. Iran’s posturing has grown since the nuclear deal was struck two years ago. US-GCC ties soon turned frosty. President Donald Trump would like to write a new chapter, or shall we say go back to the old script when the GCC was a ‘traditional US ally’. The visit of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, to Washington will set the agenda for Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia later this month. This certainly is an evolving bilateral relationship that could turn the course of events for the better in the Middle East.